Comcast Participates in "Joining Forces" Event with Michelle Obama

By Carol Golden
|
Sep 12, 2012

I never would have thought that I would have the opportunity to meet First Lady Michelle Obama this year. However, a few weeks ago I was honored to take part in a very special and exciting event. I had the privilege to join John Esquival, former U.S. Army Veteran and current Merchandiser at Universal Studios, to represent Comcast at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Fla. There, the First Lady delivered a very important message on an extraordinary initiative that all of us, as Comcasters and Americans, should be very proud of.

Last year, American businesses were issued a challenge to hire or train 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2013. This challenge led to the "Joining Forces" initiative, run by Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden.

Michelle Obama addressed a crowd of active military, veterans, spouses and business representatives with very exciting news. In just one year, not only did these businesses rise to the challenge, they hired 125,000 veterans and military spouses and committed to continue this initiative and hire another quarter of a million of our nation's heroes, including at least 50,000 military spouses.

I am so proud to be an employee of Comcast; a company that supports this initiative and incorporates it into a talent acquisition recruitment strategy.

John Esquival said, "I was honored to be one of two individuals to represent our Company. I take great pride in being a veteran. It makes me feel secure knowing that leaders like the First Lady and Dr. Biden have set up programs like Joining Forces to insure veterans and their spouses have employment. I'm proud that our Company is a part of this great initiative."

As a Talent Acquisition leader in Atlanta, I think it's awesome that Comcast and NBCUniversal are leaders in attracting, employing, and supporting our active duty military service members, reservists and veterans. Together, we share the values of leadership, service, teamwork and ethics, and we are proud to partner with those who have served our nation.